First, a very general tip. If you own both a laptop and a PC, you should definitely use the laptop to study or write an essay. Small devices consume significantly less power.

Whether smart TV, soundbar, console or Alexa - many devices do not switch off completely, but go into standby mode. Of course, this still consumes electricity. It is therefore best to disconnect all devices from the power supply that are not currently in use.

Sure, your laptop or PC are virtually in continuous operation. But how often do devices run while you follow a spontaneous inspiration and dust or wash dishes instead of writing your housework? No problem with activated energy-saving mode. Simply set when the screen should turn off or the device should go into sleep mode and you can escape from studying with peace of mind. Especially the sleep mode reduces the power consumption to a minimum.

 Yes, this tip will be difficult for graphics fans in particular. However, it is a fact that gaming machines, whether PC, laptop or console, consume more power the higher the graphics settings are. So, if you can tolerate a few less details, you will save a few more Euros per year.

Another gaming tip, sorry! Modern gaming PCs and notebooks in particular are equipped with powerful graphics cards that naturally consume a lot of power. An easy way to reduce the hardware's power thirst: limiting the FPS (frames per second). You'd better Google how this works exactly! Depending on the system and FPS limitation, the power consumption can easily be reduced by 10 to 15 percent.

To make your PC or laptop consume less power during operation, you can activate an energy-saving plan for your device under Windows. Simply choose between "Energy Saving Mode", "Balanced" and "High Performance" the right one for you.

With the refrigerator, you can easily save electricity by adjusting the temperature - for example, seven degrees is perfectly sufficient to cool food. For the freezer compartment, minus 18 degrees is optimal.

Do you have a thick layer of ice in your freezer? Then get rid of it. Otherwise, the refrigerator will consume up to 30 percent more electricity. But please don't poke around with knives. The quickest way is to put a bowl of hot water in the freezer compartment, close the door and wait a few minutes. The thawed water can then simply be wiped away. Another plus: There's more room for goodies.

If you fill your refrigerator well, it will cool more effectively and use less electricity than if you leave it half empty.

It's easy to save energy when cooking: Use a lid - this will reduce consumption by up to two-thirds.

Of course, you can also save energy by using the residual heat when cooking and baking. Simply turn off the stovetop or the oven shortly before the end - the temperature is still maintained for some time. However, this does not apply to induction stoves!

Even if you need hot water for cooking, you can do it with the water boiler. This is usually much faster than on the stove and saves energy to boot.

If you use the convection function for baking, you can save up to 15 percent electricity compared to other operating modes. And of course, casseroles, pizzas and cakes still turn out delicious.

Preheating the oven only serves to keep to the times in recipes - which are usually never correct anyway, because not all ovens are the same. In this respect, you can also do without it and thus save up to eight percent more electricity.

Cooking together with others instead of alone not only saves energy. Food also tastes much better in good company. Of course, this tip is not only suitable for shared flats or student halls ...

When you're cooking something delicious on the stove or in the oven, feel free to turn the heat down. The room heats up from cooking and you're probably airing it out afterwards anyway.

Even in autumn and winter, we need fresh air. But if you leave the window permanently tilted, you'll waste energy. It is better to open the window wide for five to ten minutes and ventilate the room well, possibly even with the door open. This provides plenty of oxygen and the heating does not take long to heat up the room again.

No one has to freeze to save on heating costs! It's much more important to heat properly instead of turning up the thermostat full blast and ending up venting out excess heat. For example, to achieve a comfortable room temperature of 20 degrees, it is sufficient to set the heating to the medium level.

Radiators need space to warm the room evenly. Therefore, if you place a sofa directly in front of the radiator, it is mainly the seating furniture that will get warm and not the room. So always leave enough distance.

Don't misunderstand, it's not about avoiding social contact, of course. But if the heating is on and the room door is open, you are heating the other rooms as well and wasting energy.

Will you be in the lecture hall, at work or with friends all day? Then turn the heater temperature control to the snowflake sign. The room will quickly heat up again when you turn the thermostat back to 3 when they return.

Around 13 percent of private electricity consumption is needed because we like it bright. No reason to grope in the dark right away. But reason enough to do without unnecessary light. For example, lamps don't have to burn permanently when no one is in the room.

You are cold and just don't get warm no matter how much you turn up the heat? Try a hot water bottle! It will drive the icy cold out of your body in no time.

Sitting in your room all alone and cramming is kind of dull, right? Team up with other students and study together in the library or a common room. First of all, it's fun, and secondly, you’ll save electricity and heating energy.

No, not a beauty tip, just another benefit of lowering the water temperature when you shower and taking a warm shower instead of a hot one. At the same time, you save energy and money. P.S.: If you also take a slightly shorter shower, you do even more for your skin and your wallet.

As a rule, laundry is washed at 40 or 60 degrees. Thanks to modern detergents, however, 30 degrees is perfectly sufficient to get laundry clean. By the way, the lower washing temperature saves a lot of energy and is therefore easy on your wallet.